1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a color electrophotographic image forming apparatus, in which a plurality of process cartridges are removably mounted to an apparatus main body to form an image on a recording medium.
2. Related Background Art
With regard to a mounting and dismounting mechanism of the process cartridges with respect to the apparatus main body, the below-mentioned structures are known as the related art. First, the process cartridge is supported by a raising and lowering plate through a guide member capable of expansion and contraction in two stages. The raising and lowering is moved upward or downward while being forwarded and retracted interlocking with a side cover. With this structure, when the side cover is opened, the process cartridge can be directly pulled out after being moved from an image forming position (I) to a pullout position (II) while being raised. Through this pullout operation, when the process cartridge is pulled out to the pullout position, the mounting and dismounting of the process cartridge, and the jam-paper clearing can be conducted (refer to U.S. Pat. No. 5,608,498).
Further, a first cartridge supporting member and a second cartridge supporting member are removably mounted in the apparatus main body. The first cartridge supporting member is constructed so that an intermediate transfer belt unit and a plurality of process cartridges are removably mounted to the first cartridge supporting member. The second cartridge supporting member is constructed so that a plurality of developing cartridges are removably mounted to the second cartridge supporting member (refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-108050).